2002 Sebring not starting

[cjac]

Here's the scoop: It was driven on Sunday, and I went out last night to move vehicles for the Monday AM commute. I have interior lights, leadlights, outside temp/compass comes on, but no radio or dash reads when I put the key in the ignition, and not a peep from the starter. Nothing.

I tried to jump it, but all signs point to having juice, and still nothing. I'm going out to pull fuses, but do I look at both the in dash board and the box under the hood? My guess is its the starter or the alternator, but is there a way to tell which one is the culprit?

Keep in mind I'm not terribly savvy under the hood, and on a '02 Sebring the battery is buried. One thought was a security code, but I looked a bit and didn't really see anything.

Any thoughts?

[CAMAN]

My first thoughts are the starter relay went out, but not having radio and dash lights makes me think a fuse that controls the ignition went.

[jmd1]

The battery is not as bad as you think however you do need to raise the left front wheel and remove it from the car. there is a panel on the front side of the fender well that you take loose and then access the battery. I would be leaning toward the battery considering you did not say how old it was and knowing the trash that gets caught in that area. Good luck.

PS, make sure to use a jack stand or something to support the car, not just the jack.

[cjac]

Upon further review I get a clock (current time) on the radio if I press the "clock" button.....so I have juice there, as well as the blower fan.....

Checked the batt, full charge. Picked up a nice bump on the head for good measure...

[CAMAN]

Does anything else come on besides the blower motor when you turn the ignition to run?

I would still look through all the fuses to make sure they are all okay.

[cjac]

I replaced 20 amp fuse #8 and when I put the key in I had full instrument panel illumination, but as soon as I hit the key it "clicked" and blew the fuse. Hence, the starter relay seems the likely and cheapest cause.

I just don't know which of the little black box relays in the fuse box is the starter relay. Looks like the middle one on the bottom row, but the schematics are sketchy at best......

[fishhuntwork]

I would bet the starter is shorted, you need a new starter. Is this a 3.5l or 2.4? I don't remember which one had problems but if my memory is right I replaced a few at the dealership.

[CAMAN]

Yes, the middle one on the row of three should be it.

There should be a spare relay on the row of 5, far left right above the small fuses, change them out and see if it works.

[cjac]

Of course the spare is missing, but hopefully I'm close to a cure. CAMAN, thanks a bunch for the help x10, hopefully the starter relay is the cure.

Beyond that a new starter is also in order as mentioned.

Thanks guys, much appreciated help for sure.

Chris

[Jeremy airjer W]

Its not the relay, Its the starter.

You can confirm this by removing the relay, replacing the fuse, and then jumping pins 87 and 87a (pins 11 and 10) with the key off. If the fuse blows replace the starter.

You can aslo swap the replay with another of the same from one of the fuse boxes.

This is very common and a new starter fixes it 99% of the time.

[cjac]

Yeah, I'm pretty much resigned to the fact it's the starter. On the list for the weekend plans.

Anyone know if a Sebring starter is a tough one to get at, or is it fairly straight forward?

[cjac]

Its not the relay, Its the starter.

You can confirm this by removing the relay, replacing the fuse, and then jumping pins 87 and 87a (pins 11 and 10) with the key off. If the fuse blows replace the starter.

You can aslo swap the replay with another of the same from one of the fuse boxes.

This is very common and a new starter fixes it 99% of the time.

As is most often times the case, the name of the game is "airjer's right". I'll be replacing the starter tomorrow. Thanks CAMAN for the advice on the cheap fix, but in my case its the starter. Hopefully it all goes OK.

[cjac]

Anyone know if a Sebring starter is a tough one to get at, or is it fairly straight forward?

Well, I now understand why no one replied to my question above. The starter job on the '02 Sebring 2.7L V6 may be the hardest DIY job I've taken on..... Ever.

You have to jack the car up to get access at things, then drop it back down and rest the motor on the jack and remove the motor mounts to get the starter out. What a beast, and there are no clear instructions online. A lot of "winging it" took place. Good news is that it's done, but never again!